Cascade Mountains: Washington State, 1947
This is the second in our series of why 1947 was the Summer of the UFO of the modern era. This is an interesting newspaper report indicating military planes were hunting “Sky Discs” in 1947. The headline is very specific and it was not retracted like the original Roswell newspaper report.
“Military Planes Hunt Sky Discs — With Cameras — In Vain On Coast”
This is very telling. The first page of the article contains interesting clues as to what [actually] happened over the skies of the Pacific Northwest in July. The military sent a total of 6 planes on recon, so they must have concluded the sightings were valid, right? Early reports from the military were negative. Five P-51’a from the Oregon Nation Guard searched the Cascade Mountains and a sixth plane circled Portland. They all were carrying “photographic equipment” but there were no photographs released. Did they take any photos?
This was a serious incident because the military also sent a Mustang fighter plane above Van Nuys, California to search. After two hours, at 35,000 feet, the pilot reported, “I didn’t see a thing.” However, some of the most credible eyewitness reports came from commercial airline pilots. They reported having seen the discs that were larger than aircraft. The discs flew in a “loose formation” at high speed.
The Airforce Public Relations staff in Washington acknowledged that the Air Forces had decided “there’s something to this.” A P-80 jet fighter at Muroc Army Air Field in California and six fast regular fighters at Portland, Oregon, stood ready to take off on an instant’s notice should any flying saucers be sighted in those areas. Some of the planes carried photographic equipment. Did any take pictures? First sighted on June 25 (this report is on 6 July) and greeted generally with scornful laughs, the objects have been reported every day since by observers in thirty-three states. A cautious attitude marked both official and scientific comments.
The article gets much more interesting in the second part. It’s on Page 5 Column 2. Credible eyewitnesses like Capt. Tom Brown of the Air Forces Public Relations staff in Washington, acknowledged that the Air Force had decided “there’s something to this” and had been checking up on it for ten days. 10 days is a long time for military observation. The 1947 Washington State sightings were not all fantastical, copycat-type sightings. The AAF and National Guard took this seriously.
The theory that these were missiles was discounted. The Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission said the discs had nothing to do with atomic experiments. Eyewitness testimony indicated the objects were round, oval, and circular with ribbed framework and silver-gray in color. The speed of the discs ranged from 300-1200 mph.
Mr. Nova Hart, a St. Louis mechanic who served in WWII to spot aircraft, said he saw one in Pattonville. Its altitude was 300 feet and it appeared to have a motor with a propeller attached in the center. It kept turning like an airplane doing a slow roll. Interestingly, Mr. Hart’s description does not sound like the other eyewitnesses. It makes you wonder why it was included.
Stay tuned. We will explore this further on our Youtube channel, @kozyskorner.
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